Spring cover



June 6, 1933. B WN 1,913,020

SPRING COVER Filed Jan. 16, 1951 the covers are often opened.

Patented June 6, 1933 UNITED STATES "PATENT OFFICE JEROME BROWN, orMILWAUKEE, wrscoivsrmassreivon To raises & srnA'rron con-v PORATION, orMILWA KEE, wrsconsm, A CORPORATION or DELAWARE srniive covnn Applicationfiled January 16, 1931 Serial No. 509,068.

This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in metalspring covers for vehicle springs. a

Where springs are provided with such covers it is customary to remove oreliminate the usual spring clips provided to prevent the leaves of thespring from fanning and spreading and the cover itself is relied upon toretain the spring in shape. However, it has been found that where thesprings are extremely flexible and thus subject to excessive flexure orWhipping especially when the brakes of thevehicle on which they aremounted, are suddenly applied, the seams of To overcome this ob ection,ordinary spring clips have been secured over the cover, but thisadditional requirement is also objectionable and this invention,therefore, has as one of its objects to provide means whereby thenecessity for separate spring clips is entirely eliminated and in whichmeansare incorporated within the cover per se to preventopening of theseams thereof r upon, excessive movement or whipping of the spring towhich the same is applied.

A more specific object of this invention resides in the provision of ametal spring cover which has portions thereof folded upi on itself toprovide a bandor bands of increased thickness completely surrounding thespring to more effectively guard against the opening of the cover seamsupon excessive spring movement. a a

With the above and other objects in view v ceeds, my invention residesinthe novel construction, combination andarrangement of partssubstantially as hereinafter described springin any suitable manner andlocked thereon by a longitudinal seam 7 extending and more particularlydefined by the ap- Figure 1 1s aperspective-view of a spring equippedwith spring covers constructed in accordancewith thisinvention;

F1gure2 is a top plan view of-a spring cover prior to its engagement ona spring and with partsthereof broken away and in section toillustratestructural details;

Figure 3 is an enlarged sectional view taken longitudinally through themedial portion of the cover on the plane of the line 33 of Figure 2 andFigure 4 is a cross sectional view taken through Figure 1 on the planeof the line Referring f more -particularlyto the accompanying drawing,in which likenuinerals designate like parts throughout the severalviews,the numeral 5 represents a conventional vehicle leaf spring onwhich covers 6, constructed 'in accordance with this inventron aresecured. Each cover 6 is stamped from a single blank of bendable metal"and then folded transversely, as illustrated in Figure 2, after whichit is secured about the throughout the length of the cover and on theunderside of the spring. a a

To accommodate the flexure of the spring, theblank of which the cover isformed is cut from opposite sides to divide the same into a plurality ofsections 8' connected only attheir medial portions, as at 9. The medialconnecting portions 9 are foldedso that the sections 8loverla. each othi l l which will appear as the ClGSCI'IPtIOII PI'O- p er as c ear yshown in Figure 8, and when the cover is secured over the spring theconnecting portlons 9 aredisposed on the top of the spring and thoseportions of the blank outwardly of the connecting portions 9"form thesides and bottomof the cover. a The portions 9 thus form substantiallyhinge connections between the adjacent sections to accommodate relativemovement between the sections incidental to the flexure of the springwithout exposing any portion of the spring.

spring and have their ends interlocked, as

part of the seam 7 The bands 10 are formed as an integral part of thecover by doubling the material of the endmost sections 8 upon itself asshown iii-Figure 2, there being two such bands-or portions of increasedthickness in the outermost section 8 one at the extreme end thereof andone at a medial point, and a single band or portion of increasedthickness in the next adjacent section 8. These bands or portions ofincreased thickness are sufficiently strong at their point ofconnection, Which forms part of the seam 7, to securely hold the-leavesof the spring against fanningfiand spreading and precludes thepossibility of opening of the seam upon excessive spring movement.

While the same forms no part of the invention it is understood that inassembling longitudinal edges of the cover together including the endsof said band.

8. A one-piece metallic spring cover adapted to snugly fit the top,sides and bot tom of a laminated spring, a strengthening band formed asan integral part of said cover and adapted to entirely encircle thespring, and a seam securing the longitudinal edges of the cover togetherincluding the ends of said band. i

In testimony whereof I havehereunto affixed my signature.

JEROME BROWN.

the cover upon the spring, the spring may i ture and dirt.

What I claim as my invention'is:

1. A one-piece metallic spring cover adapted to snugly fit the top,sides and bottom of a laminated spring and provided with a transversefold in its top portion intermediate the ends to forma hinge tocompensate for vertical flexure of the spring. the side and bottomportions of said cover being cut transversely adjacent said hinge andoverlapped upon each other. a seam securing the longitudinal edges ofthe cover together along the bottom of the spring, and a plurality ofspaced bands entirely encircling the spring to preclude opening of theseam uponexcessive spring movement, said strengthening bands comprisingseveral thicknesses of metal formed by folding the cover blanktransversely upon itself, and eX- tending from one marginal edge of thecover to the other to have their ends interlocked as part of the seam. p

2. A; one-piece metallic spring cover adapted to snugly fit the top,sides and bottom of a laminated spring, a strengthening band formed asan integral. part of said cover and adapted to entirely encircle thespring, and integral means securing the

